Gift of the God, Curse of the Beast
by Kay Lyn Jay
Summary: Ever since Tohru accepted Kyo in his true form he has been unable to deny his strong feelings for her. Dying to tell her, but afraid to lose her, he battles with his most challenging opponent;Himself. Will he be able to tell Tohru how he feels?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I personally do not own the anime series, the manga series, or any of the characters. In summation, I own nothing. _

_**A/N: I have been wanting to take a stab at a Furuba fanfic for a while now and recently I've been getting back into it to finish the manga series, and so, here goes my first Fruits basket Fan fic. Ps: it picks up where the anime leaves off. (Please R&R)**_

Chapter 1: Keep Watching, You Might Miss Everything

"Tohru!" Shigure yelled pathetically as Kyo attempted to punch him. "Oh, Tohru please stop this senseless violence."

"Quit being so dramatic you sick pervert, maybe I wouldn't hit you if you didn't make sick remarks!" Kyo said as he punched a hole through one of the doors.

"Oh no my door," Shigure said with over done melancholy.

"Oh my, what's going on, why are you fighting," Tohru nervously rambled in that way she was so well known for.

"Don't worry Miss Honda," Yuki said as he stepped up beside her in the doorway, "They're just stupid sometimes, that's all." Tohru couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief as she saw Kyo stop his rampage and sit down at the table. Yuki sat down and looked up at Tohru with a smile. "I'm not sure what you've made for breakfast but it certainly smells wonderful," Yuki said with a kind smile.

"Oh well thank you," she said bowing her head, "Hold on one second and I'll bring it right out." She disappeared into the kitchen and within the minute she was back with enough food for each of them to have a good breakfast.

As everyone ate and finished their meal, Tohru pulled out a list of the groceries she would need for that nights supper. Kyo caught a glimpse of the paper and went back to eating.

"Well that was a fine meal, Tohru." Shigure said, leaning back in satisfaction.

"Thank you so much," Tohru said smiling to Shigure before standing. "Well, I need to go out and get these groceries before it starts to rain. Those clouds aren't looking so great," She added as she walked toward the door of the room to get her shoes. Kyo stood without a word and walked out of the room with his dirty dishes.

Tohru shut the door behind herself and began to walk. Smiling to herself as she usually did she couldn't help but let one worry creep into her mind. 'Why won't Kyo look at me…?' she wondered, turning her attention to her feet as they moved along over the dirt road. 'I don't think I didn't anything to offend him… Or maybe I did,' she thought in a panic.

Just then there was a rustling in the bushes and she stopped walking.

"H-hello? Who's there?" she asked, speaking out into the open air. "EEP!" she shrieked as a hand placed itself gently on her shoulder.

"Relax, it's just me, Tohru," Kyo said, watching Tohru try to calm down and get her heart rate back to normal.

"Oh, Kyo, I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you there," she said, smiling innocently as usual.

"Stop apologizing," he said looking irritated for a moment, then he smiled lightly, just a small grin. "Jeez you act like you offend me. It's a compliment for a martial artist like me to be told their presence was unknown," Kyo said, he began to smile a little bigger, letting his stealth mastery go to his head. Tohru smiled looking at him.

'Guess I didn't do anything wrong after all, he's looking at me now,' she thought to herself. She kept smiling as she looked ahead, seeing that they were starting into the town.

"Hey, Tohru," Kyo began, he sounded sincere and a bit uneasy. Tohru knew this tone, he used it when he was trying to convey something emotional or heartfelt. "I-," he stopped short as he pulled Tohru out from in front of a car. "I can't believe how dumb you are sometimes, you just walked out in front of a car!" he shouted, holding her arm protectively. He deeply wished that he could hug her to him, but they both knew the consequence of that action. Losing his nerve he dropped what he had been about to say.

"Oh, oh wow I can't believe I did that, I didn't even see it," she said, marveling at herself. "Thank you, Kyo, you saved me," she said, noticing he was clutching her arm rather tightly before he let go and put his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, come on, let's get you to the grocery store before something else goes wrong," he said leading her along toward the store. She followed silently but smiled lightly like she usually did. It didn't take long for them to pick up all the things on Tohru's list. Kyo carried most of the bags, allowing Tohru to carry only one. She didn't want to feel like she wasn't helping out.

"Hmm, it still hasn't rained. Do you think it will Kyo?" She asked curiously looking up at the sky for some kind of sign. Kyo would know if there were rain coming. It was the kind of thing the cat could feel.

"I don't know, it feels like it could go either way at this point," Kyo said, giving it his best guess for Tohru's sake. "But just in case it does rain, let's get home before it does." Kyo said, hurrying on to the road to their home. Tohru agreed, keeping pace with him as she hurried home with Kyo.

Tohru was finishing with the dishes, walking through the kitchen to put some away, when she noticed Kyo out in the back yard. Yuki was there with him. It was a rare spectacle if ever there was one. She put the last of the supper dishes away and wandered into the yard, staying on the porch watching them as they sparred. Yuki, as always was beating Kyo mercilessly.

"You Damn rat! Hold still!" Kyo shouted as he threw a punch here and tried to land a kick there. Yuki dodged almost effortlessly as he usually did.

"You make this too easy, worthless cat," Yuki said, ever the calm one. "Maybe if you took a second to calm yourself and see what is going on instead of blindly throwing punches.

"Ugh, Shut up!" Kyo yelled as he threw his last punch. It was his last because Yuki Grabbed his punching arm as he dodged the punch and flipped Kyo, sending him flying onto the porch and into Tohru. She gasped as Kyo landed right on top of her, instinctively wrapping his arms around her to catch himself.

With a great rush of air and a poof, Kyo was suddenly a cat. Kyo angrily bristled the hair on his back and ran off, leaving his clothes sprawled on Tohru. She picked them up and quickly folded them, wondering where Kyo might have run to. Her first instinct was to get his clothes back to him. He wasn't going to stay a cat for long.

"Miss Honda!" Yuki said quickly coming to her aide. She stood up in a slight panic.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, I messed your fight up, I didn't mean to change him, do you think he's mad? Where did he go?" She asked, rambling apologetically. Yuki placed a hand on her head, and she looked up at him with big worried eyes.

"Calm down Tohru, I should be the one apologizing, I should have realized you were there. Forgive me," He said bowing his head politely. Tohru marveled at how polite he was.

"Oh, of course I forgive you, how could I be mad at you?" She said smiling once again. She remembered Kyo once again as she felt the cloth of his clothing in her hands. "Ah, I better find Kyo before he changes back," She said, knowing suddenly just where she could find him. It was where Kyo always went to sulk.

She excused herself from Yuki's presence and went straight to the roof where, just as he always was, sat Kyo. In his cat form he lay on the roof, staring out into the forest.

"Kyo…?" she asked, joining him on the roof. "I brought your clothes," she said, placing them on the roof where he could get them once he had changed. She could feel that he didn't seem to be in the mood to be bothered so she started back down off the roof. As she headed off, she was stopped by Kyo.

"Wait, you don't have to go," Kyo said, sitting up. "Tohru…" he said, trying to say something. All that come was silence though. She sat down on the roof watching him, waiting for him to speak. "Thanks, for my clothes." He said. She could tell it was just a cover for what he really wanted to say.

"You're welcome. Are you okay?" she asked, looking on in concern for her good friend.

"Yeah, I just…" he began, "I just wish I could beat Yuki, just once. But he's right, I get too worked up, and he stays calm and composed. It's the advantage he has over me. I'll never be a great fighter…" he said. Tohru could tell that he really meant it.

"Oh! No that's not true at all!" Tohru said quickly, she rushed over to his side to comfort him. "You are a great fighter, I've never seen anyone so amazing!" she proclaimed. Kyo suddenly came back to his human self in a cloud of zodiac dust and the animated Tohru turned away in embarrassment.

"Heh, thanks." He said reaching for his clothes. 'Why do you always know what to say..' Kyo thought to himself as Tohru continued to look away. "It's okay, I'm dressed."

"Wow, you are really fast at that," She commented as she let herself turn back.

"Seems to have become one of those skills acquired out of necessity lately." He said sarcastically. Tohru smiled as the joke sailed over her head. Kyo looked at her for a moment and then sat back down on the roof. She was too much some times, but never failed to be his favorite person. She was his light, and sense of relief. His comfort, and friend. He just couldn't admit to himself what she truly meant to him.

_**Next time!: Tohru has a birthday coming up, what will the guys get for her? Wait and see who show's up at her surprise birthday party planned by the one and only Shigure and her two best friends! Please read to find out! =D**_

_**Read, Review, Let me know if you liked it and if I should continue. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thanks for your reviews everyone =D I appreciate them.**_

**Hold On, Don't Hang On**

Kyo woke early as usual to the brightness of the rising sun. Stretching, he stepped over to the window and looked down at the yard below. 'Same as always,' he thought to himself as he stepped away from the window and headed for the bath. A towel slung over his shoulder, he walked down toward the bathing room.

Without thinking about Tohru also being the early riser that she was, he didn't bother to knock. Heading in without a second thought he was surprised when he felt the steam of the room hit his face. He looked around and caught a glimpse of Tohru's naked back. A faint blush bloomed across his cheeks, and he quickly and quietly shut the door. Turning his back toward the door he walked directly into the kitchen.

"Kyo, you look like you've just seen something you weren't supposed to, huh?" asked Shigure as he noticed the blush on Kyo's cheeks. "You weren't spying on our Tohru now were you?" Shigure asked, raising his eyebrows. Before Kyo could make any remark, Shigure stumbled forward. Yuki stood behind him looking annoyed and tired. Clutching his head Shigure looked back at Yuki.

"Don't be stupid. He might be a stupid cat but even he wouldn't do something like that to Miss Honda." Yuki said with sight agitation. Kyo didn't say anything, just sat himself down at the table.

"I was just kidding," Shigure said, "How sad to always be the victim," Shigure said with a dramatic sigh.

"Quit exaggerating," Kyo said. As he did Tohru walked into the kitchen, her hair still damp from her bath. The second Kyo saw her he couldn't help but think of seeing her. Even though it wasn't much of her, Kyo still fought to hold back a blush.

"Good morning everyone," she said brightly. "Who's hungry?" she asked as she headed to the kitchen. Shigure raised his hand and waved it enthusiastically.

" I am, I am!" Shigure said. Tohru smiled and headed into the kitchen. Kyo silently left the table with his towel and made a beeline for the bathing room. Shutting the door behind him, he started the bath water running and let the steam collect into droplets on his skin as he disrobed and settled into the water.

His mind wandered to Tohru. He thought about how important she was to him and how much he wished their circumstances were different. 'She deserves to know,' he thought to himself as he let himself slide deeper into the water. 'It could change everything though. Is it worth risking the friend I have?' he wondered.

Kyo walked out of the bathing room with the towel draped over his head. As he did so he noticed that Tohru was about to leave with her two best friends, Arisa and Hana. He wondered where she was off to with them, but thought it was good for her to be getting out with her friends. "'Bye-'bye," Shigure waved to the three as they walked away down the road. Tohru turned around and waved before continuing on with her friends.

Shigure came back into the house and off the porch, closing the door behind him. Yuki came through the kitchen carrying some party decorations. Kyo looked confused. "What's going on?" he asked Shigure.

"Ah there is so much to do for our little Tohru," he said as though he didn't hear Kyo. Kyo growled under his breath.

"Hey, I asked you a question," Kyo said angrily.

"Kyo! I'm shocked at you. How could you not be aware of such a special day?" Shigure scolded.

"Well maybe if someone would tell me! What is even going on that's so special?" Kyo said trying to keep his cool.

"It's Miss Honda's birthday, stupid cat," Yuki said as he was about to put up some of the decorations. Kyo froze.

"I suppose this means you didn't even get her a present?" Shigure asked, knowing the answer already.

"Shut up!" Kyo yelled as he stormed out of the house. He took off into the woods seeming angrier than ever. In reality he was thinking quickly. He stopped after he was out of sight of the house and pulled some money out of his pocket. 'Damn it,' he thought as he counted. 'I sure hope this is enough for something nice. She deserves something nice,' he thought as he continued into town.

He stopped at almost every shop in town that sold jewelry. Nothing seemed to stick out that wasn't a ring or way too expensive. Finally he stopped at a small shop that was full of all sorts of trinkets big and small. He surveyed his surroundings, hoping that this small shop held something he liked and knew Tohru would like. It was his last hope. Then, something caught his eye. Under the glass counter he saw the small gold chain, but more importantly he saw the small trinket on the chain.

'Perfect,' he thought as he stared at in trance.

"That is one of my favorites," an elderly man said, coming up behind the counter to wait on Kyo. Kyo looked up in slight surprise. The man looked very friendly as he smiled at Kyo. "Is it for a special someone?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kyo smiled. He felt that he could express himself freely in front of the harmless man.

"I see, that's what I thought," he said happily as he pulled the chain and trinket out from under the counter. He held it out to Kyo and he took it gingerly between his fingers.

"It's perfect," he said as he looked at it. "How much?" he asked. As he asked he felt an anxious twinge. If he couldn't afford it he would never be able to forgive himself for not being able to get this special gift for Tohru. The old man sank into thought for a moment before a kind smile lit up his wrinkled face.

"Tell you what, you seem like a very special fellow." He said. Kyo froze, wondering what the man was getting at. He shook off the possibility that he may know of the zodiac. There just wasn't a way he could know something like that. "How much do you have in your pocket?" the man asked. Kyo lay his money on the table and the old man counted it.

"Sold." The man said placing the money in his register and setting a velvet box on the counter. He took the chain and trinket from Kyo and placed it neatly in the box. "There you are, good luck," the man said smiling all too knowingly at Kyo.

" Thanks," was all he couldn't manage to say in return to the old man. The man continued to smile at him as he left the shop and headed for home with his gift. He smiled to himself as he held onto it tightly.

When he returned home he saw nothing but a dark house. Kyo walked in slowly wondering where everyone had gone. He knew he hadn't been gone that very long. A few hours tops. Just as he opened the door to the living room he was very irritated to feel a bunch of confetti in his face as he turned the lights on.

"SURPRISE!," Shigure yelled. His smiled turned to an irritated frown when he saw that it was only Kyo.

"Way to waste the surprise on me," Kyo sniffed as he continued through the room.

"I guess we should have told you it's a surprise party," Shigure said in retrospect.

"Quick get down, I just heard some laughing. It has to be Tohru and her friends on their way in," Yuki said ducking back down behind the chair he had hid behind the first time. Kyo jumped behind the couch beside Shigure and waited anxiously for Tohru to walk in. He clutched his gift, imaging the moment he gave it to her.

_**A/N: End chapter 2 part 1. So what do you think? Good, bad? Let me know, please read and review. Let me know if I should continue, I really appreciate it. =D**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh gosh! It has been such a long time since I did anything with this! I feel though the urge to continue since I have some good idea's going. =D To everyone who has reviewed, is a fan, or is following this story, thank you!**

_Don't Lose Heart Pt. 1_

Kyo waited anxiously behind the couch and as the lights came on stood with the others, though he was not a vigorous in the delivery of his surprise as the others were. Shigure jumped up animatedly and yelled, " Surprise!" Yuki too gave a much better effort in his surprise shout. Kyo just smiled a little as he watched Tohru jump. Her friends did too.

"Oh m-my," She shouted with surprise as she dropped some of her shopping bags. Hana leaned down to pick one up and Kyo rushed forward to pick up the other things. Yuki and Shigure came out from their hiding places to greet her.

"Sorry miss Honda, did we frighten you?" Yuki asked with concern as he offered her a comforting smile. She smiled in that way she always did looking a bit air headed. Kyo took the bags out of her hands and she thanked him. He had shoved the present deep in his pocket, not wanting her to see it. He didn't know why he was suddenly shy about it. It was perfect and he couldn't wait to give it to her.

"N-no, not at all! I am quite surprised, Yuki!" She insisted as her friends helped her into the kitchen where Shigure had placed the cake that he had slaved over. And by slaved, he meant walked to the store and bought. However the heartfelt message inscribed on the front was one he had picked out himself.

'Happy 17th Birthday Tohru!' The inscription of icing read. Tohru had tears of joy brimming in her eyes as she looked at the cake. Kyo noticed and panicked inwardly wondering if they had upset her somehow without realizing it.

"Thank you so much everyone!" She said trying to get past the tears of appreciation. "You really didn't have to go to all this trouble, just for me!" she said trying to wipe away the tears quickly.

"What the heck Tohru! Why are you crying!?" Kyo shouted. He was never any good at keeping a level head, especially when it came to women.

"I believe those are tears of joy, idiot," Yuki said with slight irritation at the cat. Kyo glared at him and punched the table.

"No one asked you, damn rat…" Kyo said turning his face away from the group. Tohru nodded in agreement with Yuki at the words and tried to look at Kyo to reassure him.

The night went on with a lot of laughter and happiness was the only emotion to be found in the room. Everyone presented Tohru with their gifts as the night wore on. She showed, as only Tohru Honda could, the utmost amazement at each gift and gave a seemingly endless speech of thanks to each person. All except for Kyo. He hung back from the group, sitting or standing at the edge of the fun at any given time. No one seemed to notice except for Tohru who didn't push the subject.

The clock suddenly chimed, signaling to everyone that it was now nine o'clock. Shigure looked over at the clock and with a faint sigh turned to Tohru and her friends. They knew as well as everyone that it was just about time to call it a night. The three friends hugged and said their goodbyes to everyone and soon it was just the four of them again.

Shigure stretched looked down at Tohru. "Ah, Tohru, it seems like it wasn't that long ago you were only sixteen…" he said thoughtfully. Kyo punched his arm with annoyance.

"That's because it wasn't that long ago," Kyo said walking out through the house and to the back porch, his hand shoved deep in his pocket. It held tightly onto his present. No one seemed to have noticed that he never presented Tohru with anything. She herself noticed but was too kind hearted to think anything of it and instead looked after him with a bit of longing.

"Thank you all so much, it really means more than you know to me, that you are such kind and wonderful people," she said with more sincerity than she needed to. Shigure smiled and patted her head.

"Heaven knows you of all people deserve to be celebrated, Tohru," Shigure said before turning to walked away. "And heaven knows I need sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow! Those books won't right themselves!"

With that he was gone up the stairs and Yuki just shook his head. He walked calmly over to Tohru, giving her a pat on the shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to hug her in the festivity of the evening. It seemed proper to give someone a birthday hug, however he knew as well as she that it would only lead to his transformation into the zodiac rat.

She accepted his friendly shoulder pat gladly though and smiled at him brightly.

"I think you should go find Kyo," He said suddenly. Tohru looked a little surprised by this but nodded slowly. Yuki would always do what he could to thwart Kyo in his attempts to become a better fighter than himself, but he would never do anything to poorly affect Tohru's happiness. And for the time being it seemed Kyo was her happiness. Even if she didn't want anyone to see it, he could feel the energy between Kyo and her. The way Kyo watched her when he thought no one was looking was unmistakable.

"You think so? I think he wants to be alone…" she said as she stood. She didn't move any further toward the door. She knew that when Kyo wandered off it was unmistakable that he simply wanted time to himself. He was usually alone though. Never spending much time with the others in the house.

"I'm sure of it," Yuki nodded. She looked at him one last time before walking out through the house the way Kyo had went. The house was quiet and empty, and all that remained was the ghost of the party that had occurred there. Half a cake sat with a knife in it in the kitchen and plates littered the table. 'I need to clean up…' she thought as she paused in the kitchen. Yuki appeared then and shooed her on toward the back yard.

"It's your birthday miss Honda, you need not worry about this mess. Really, go," Yuki said in encouragement. She smiled lightly and nodded, continuing then to move through the house. Finally she arrived at the door that gave way into the back yard. With a moment of hesitation she gathered herself and slid the door to the side.

The yard was dim but lit in pale moonlight. She looked up and saw the moon hovering full above her in the night sky. It was rather brilliant. She turned her attention back to the yard, void of objects aside from Kyo. He stood staring out into the woods, bathed in the moonlight. Her breath caught for a moment as she appreciated the way the light shaped around him and reflected off of his skin.

Hearing the door sliding shut Kyo turned and looked at Tohru. She smiled kindly and walked to join him in the middle of the yard.

"May I join you?" She asked, hesitating. She didn't want to come to stand beside him if she was in fact not welcome. Kyo's breath caught a bit and he turned to face her. His heart sped up a little. She was the one who had just moments ago been running through his mind, and he wanted nothing more now than her company. His hand tightened around her gift.

"Yeah, definitely," he said, looking down at her as she came to stand before him.

"Thank you," she said happily looking again at the moon. "It's such a beautiful moon tonight, " she observed still smiling all the while. Kyo looked at her now, truly looked at her. He admired the wait the moon light, pale and fragile, lit her face. It poured over her and almost seemed to reflect back. Her eyes were shining in the light as well and he wanted badly to reach out and hold her. He had imagined that moment so many times. Though he knew it was not possible.

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Sorry guys =) but review and I promise to have a part two up by tomorrow night! This will be a part one kind of deal. So let me know what you think! I typed this up quickly so I apologize for any significant errors! Thanks for reading =D**


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

**A/N: Well, just as I promised, here is part two! I would really love some reviews, but I shall continue without them simply for my love of writing 3 Enjoy!**

_Don't Lose Heart Pt. 2_

Kyo observed her in silence and realized a blush had crept onto her cheeks. She could feel him watching her. She looked over to him. "Is everything alright Kyo? You didn't seem very interested in the party." Tohru looked a bit concerned now for Kyo as she remembered why she had come out here. He looked a bit taken aback by her question.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little claustrophobic in there. Too many people," he said, his hand still fidgeting over the gift. Tohru smiled and a small sigh of relief could be heard as it escaped her lips. Kyo wanted to give her the present more than anything but he wasn't sure how to go about it. He could already see her face as she looked at it. 'Would she even like it?' he wondered.

What a silly question. Of course she would like it, she liked everything she got. She was such a fool sometimes, too grateful for her own good. But somehow Kyo found himself realizing that it was one of the things he liked so much about her. She was so humble, and kind, and caring even to those who he thought didn't even deserve it. She was happy to receive even the smallest of gifts and at times happy even when she received nothing at all. Was in an act? Did she do this out of habit? Was she a different person on the inside that she didn't want to let anyone see? He didn't think she was. He was sure of it. He didn't even think she had it in her heart to be selfish or cruel, even when it was okay to be a little bit, some of the time.

"Ah, well I'm glad to know," she said hugging her arms around herself. The night air was comfortable but the shirt Tohru wore, with its thin long sleeves and light cotton base, did not offer her much protection from the cool night breeze. "I think I'm going to call it a night, Kyo."

She turned away then and began walking toward the house. Kyo panicked a bit inwardly as he watched her back turn to him and begin moving toward the house. He pulled the gift from his pocket and looked at it with courage. 'Now or never,' he thought to himself as he walked up behind her and placed his hand gently on her should.

"Tohru, hold on a second," he said. She turned around and smiled at him curiously.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she had not yet seen the gift he had pulled from his pocket.

"Listen, I…" Kyo began but he just couldn't find the right words. He wasn't good at words, with the connection of intricate sentences that could capture a moment. He couldn't piece things together to fabricate lines that could make a girl swoon or an enemy's heart shiver. He just wasn't the words type. He was the action type and he knew that well.

Without another moment of hesitation he took Tohru's hand and pulled it out opening her hand palm up. She looked surprised but didn't pull away from him. Before she could ask what he was doing he placed a small velvet box into the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it. She looked down at the box for a brief moment, then up at Kyo. He was looking down at the box and then he too brought his attention to her.

"Happy birthday," he said softly and then, dropping her hand without another word, he walked past her and back into the house. His face was tinged with red and he knew he couldn't stand there any longer without saying something stupid. He knew when it was time to take his leave and this was the moment. He wanted to see the look on her face when she opened it. But if she didn't like it, he figured he was just sparing himself the embarrassment of rejection.

He walked slowly into the kitchen and looked around at the now clean room. Yuki was just closing the fridge. He stood straight and looked over at Kyo with his expressionless face as he usually did when it came to Kyo. Kyo just looked at him a moment longer in the uncomfortable silence before he couldn't stand it anymore.

"What are you looking at me like that for you damn rat?" Kyo asked, not even attempting to hide the aggravation in his voice.

"You know something cat, you are quite possibly the dumbest person I have ever had the misfortune of knowing. That or you are truly quite clueless." Yuki said plainly.

"Clueless? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's obvious that Tohru has feelings for you. And you ignore them? Or maybe you are just too much of a coward to face them?"

"I'm not a coward!" Kyo said between gritted teeth. "I'm just…"

"Afraid?" Yuki asked. His expression had softened a little, but not by much. "Listen, no matter what you feel, you have to face it, not run from it. You know as well as I do how she feels. And if you hurt her, Kyo," Yuki said coming face to face with the Cat, "I will not hesitate to kill you."

Kyo sniffed with arrogance and turned away from Yuki's threat. "I'd never hurt her," he said as he walked out of the room and up the stairs. "That's a promise," he whispered, mostly to himself. He couldn't have cared less if Yuki heard or not.

Tohru stood in the yard with the small velvet box held tightly in her hand. She didn't turn to watch Kyo go into the house behind her. The box was so important to her in this moment that she knew she must cherish it. A gift from Kyo to her. She opened her hand and looked upon the softness that was the velvet box. She popped the top open and slowly pulled it up to view what it held inside.

Her heart pounded a little in her chest as she beheld its contents. Inside there shimmered a thick gold chain that she supposed must be genuine. But that was not what most shocked her as she moved her gaze down to the trinket that was clasped onto the chain. It was more gold in the shape of a lovely cat, and if that wasn't enough the eyes of the cat held small rubies.

She felt with all her might that this was too much. That she could not accept such a beautiful gift, especially as she guessed at how much it might have cost him. As she turned to run after him into the house an immediate realization made her stop in her tracks. How disappointed would Kyo be if she tried to give it back. He obviously had put a lot of thought into this gift.

She took it gently out of its box, and held it out in front of herself. It shined brilliantly in the pale light of the night moon. She was so taken by it, she had to admit. It was a bracelet and so she undid the clasp and fastened it around her wrist. It was charming to say the least. She imagined Kyo putting it on her, and how lovely the moment would have been.

Her heart quickened at the thought and she felt her face get warm. "Oh, Kyo…" she said to no one but herself as she was alone in the yard. Making her way up to the house she closed the doors behind her and walked to the now empty kitchen. She was a bit thankful for the loneliness of the house now, as she didn't want anyone to notice her blush. She promised herself she would thank Kyo properly in the morning, even though much of her wished he were still with her now and hadn't gone so quickly into the house.

**A/N: And there you have it! More to come and hopefully soon! I am really back on a roll with this story. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated =D**


	5. All Good Things to Those who Wait

**Hello everyone! I know it's been more than a while since I wrote anything for this story but I was riffling through my old email account and found a few reviews for this story that yearned for continuation. Therefore, I will do my best to continue this story. ^^**

All Good Things to Those Who Wait

Tohru was sleeping peacefully when she heard a light clatter come from somewhere outside her door. She gave a small start and yawned as she sat up.

"What could that be?" she wondered out loud as she swung two pale legs over the edge of her bed and stood. The floor was chilled beneath her bare feet. The cold caused her to hold her breath for a second, then in a large exhale she felt her body slowly become accustomed to it. She pulled her robe off of the small hook on her door and wrapped it closely to her body, tying it securely. Next she glanced down at her wrist, just to be sure that her gift still rested gently there. It did.

The thick gold chain and the golden cat pendant hung there, inadvertently reminding her of Kyo. She loved it so much she feared she might never want to take it off, unless it was to protect it. She sighed to herself and opened the door as quietly as she could. She padded forward down the hall and made her way to the stairs, the house now quiet. She listened intently for any more noise as her first foot hit the top step. Then she heard it again.

A thudding and muffled sounds. She was a bit worried and she held her arms close to herself for some semblance of protection. She cautiously made her way down into the kitchen and wondered where the sound was coming from. The tension it was creating was almost more than she could take. Suddenly she felt a touch at her should and gave a quick start.

"Shhh," Yuki gestured for her to remain silent as he pressed his finger to his pale lips gracefully. She blushed and nodded for a moment. The handsome sohma boy was wearing a pair of dress pants and his customary button shirt. It was a blue gray and she had to admit that it made his eyes pop in a way that she never noticed before. She was thankful, however, that he was there. The sounds came again, only this time louder and this time Tohru was sure she could hear Kyo yelling as quietly as possible, if one could yell quietly.

Yuki walked away from her and toward the sliding door from which the noise seemed to be coming. Tohru followed a slight distance behind out of curiosity and held her breath as Yuki slid the door to the side. The door was opened just in time for Kyo to come flying through it. He landed directly on top of Tohru and within seconds the cat was sitting in animal form. The anger was more than present on Kyo's face, regardless of his animal form. From the porch Yuki and Tohru beheld a familiar face.

Kagura Sohma, the boar of the zodiac, stood on the porch. She looked a little disgruntled and Tohru was already a bit afraid of her strength and wayward emotions. She smiled none the less and hurriedly tried to pick up Kyo's clothing.

"Oh, Tohru, don't. Let him get them himself." Kagura was not really asking, she was telling. Tohru stopped and stood with the clothes she had managed to pick up still in her hands. "You're too kind to someone so mean."

"W-why do you say that?" Tohru asked, a bit embarrassed. Yuki stepped in now.

"I assume you've come to drag him to the main house?"

"Akito has called the zodiac to the main house. He is a zodiac."

"Hardly. Besides, you know he hates it there," Yuki said sternly, before adding a bit more softly, "and most of them hate him…"

Kagura frowned and looked a bit saddened at this subject. She turned and set her shoulders. "He should still come." With that she left the room and walked quickly away out into the yard and soon was on the dirt road that led to town. Tohru just stared.

"I apologize Miss Honda. I hope she didn't startle you." Yuki looked at her with genuine worry on his pale face.

"Oh, n-no, it's alright. I'm okay, really. I'm just worried about Ky-" she began to say as she looked down at the cat, "-o…" she finished when she saw he had scampered off.

"Better find him and get those clothes to him, before…" Tohru knew, and nodded. She gathered the rest of the clothes. She had so many questions she wanted to ask Yuki about their family meeting and why Kyo needed to be there. But she felt it wasn't her place, that, and she had no time to really ask. The clock was ticking and you never really could tell how long it would take for him to change back.

She knew the first place to check as always was the roof. So, clothes in hand she climbed awkwardly up the house and finally reached the top. She hoisted herself up just in time to see Kyo, not as a cat, but as a naked pale ginger boy, knees clutched to his chest in an attempt to protect his modesty or perhaps just to brood, fog still clearing. She could tell that he had just changed back. Either way, Tohru was too embarrassed to move. And at the same time, she didn't want to stop looking.

"T-tohru!" Kyo said as he made and attempt to hug his body closer to himself. "What are you doing!?" he shouted, not unkindly. She gave out a small "eek!" and threw his clothes hard at his face, not meaning to be so haphazard about it and turned quickly away.

"I, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she yelled, her eyes shut tightly even though her back was already turned to him. " I didn't see anything, I promise!" As she sat there on her knees praying that Kyo would forgive her she felt a hand place itself gently on her shoulder. She opened her eyes a bit startled and wondered what Kyo was doing.

"It's alright, you can turn around now," Kyo said gently. As she turned he couldn't help but notice the small trinket she wore around her wrist. His gift. His heart stuttered a bit in his chest as he tried to maintain nonchalance about it.

"I'm so sorry," she said, still beating her self up.

"Hey, I said it's okay. Okay?"

She nodded placing her hands together. She felt the bracelet dangle off her wrist and remembered that she wanted to thank him. "Oh! I almost forgot." She looked at him sincerely. "Thank you Kyo," she said gently, "this is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me. I- I love it. I will keep it forever."

"Forever is a long time."

"I know, it's something worth keeping though. It's precious to me…" she looked down at her wrist, and admired the trinket in thought for a moment. Kyo observed her and felt the knot in his chest return. It was the barricade that stood between him what he wanted to say and his voice. The words never seemed to find their way out.

_ '"You know something cat, you are quite possibly the dumbest person I have ever had the misfortune of knowing. That or you are truly quite clueless." Yuki said plainly._

_"Clueless? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

_"It's obvious that Tohru has feelings for you. And you ignore them? Or maybe you are just too much of a coward to face them?"_

_"I'm not a coward!" Kyo said between gritted teeth. "I'm just…"_

_"Afraid?" Yuki asked. His expression had softened a little, but not by much. "Listen, no matter what you feel, you have to face it, not run from it. You know as well as I do how she feels. And if you hurt her, Kyo," Yuki said coming face to face with the Cat, "I will not hesitate to kill you."'_

Kyo couldn't help but replay the previous day in his mind when Yuki had called him out on his fear. Was it fear? Kyo knew what he wanted to say, he knew how he felt. The fear was not of the feelings. He wanted the feelings. He lived for them some days. No, he didn't fear the feelings. He feared the rejection that came with feelings when they were not returned. Yuki was sure that she liked him, but how could she?

'Could she love me?' Kyo thought.


End file.
